Ms. Mandaue 2016 1st runner-up tops pharmacist exam

CEBU, Philippines — She's got, not only beauty, but brains, too.

Louise Theunis, who was crowned first runner-up in Miss Mandaue pageant in 2016, recently aced the licensure examination for aspiring pharmacists.

The 19-year-old Zamboangueña logged the highest score of 91.55 among other thousands of examinees, beating graduates from prestigious Manila-based schools like the University of Santo Tomas.

She was one of the 2,927 passers out of the 4,230 examinees of the Pharmacist Licensure Examination, according to Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

Aside from Theunis, University of San Carlos graduate Danixzyle Cutamora ranked 8th with a rating of 90.88 percent.

Theunis admitted she burst in tears upon knowing the results of the board examinations that was released on August 8.

“I didn’t want to check my phone. My best friend, Danica, was with me. When the list came out, she immediately checked it. We were in an open public space and she just screamed and cried saying I was top 1. At first, I [told her] don’t mess with me. Then she showed me and I just broke down crying. I called my mom. I was just overwhelmed with shock and happiness,” she narrated.

She never expected the outcome but sure she strived to achieve for excellence.

“I managed my time. I studied all hours every day. But I never deprived myself. I always eat enough and on time and slept enough. And just gave my effort day in and day out,” said Theunis.

The Belgian-Filipina proved that she is more than her stunning physique.

She was a consistent achiever since childhood.

She was class valedictorian in 2010 when she finished elementary and salutatorian in 2010 when she finished high school from Saint Joseph School in Zamboanga City.

This year, she was granted the magna cum laude honors after completing her bachelor’s degree studies at Cebu Doctors’ University. She was also an academic scholar and consistent in the dean’s list.

Along the course of preparing for the examinations held on August 4 and 5, Theunis shared that she also struggled in times when she gets tired and anxious.

“Losing the motivation at times because I felt like it was impossible to top. I was getting frustrated when I couldn’t understand or remember things,” she said.

But she always had a backup and support that pushes her to aim even for what she thought was impossible.

Theunis attributed her success to her family, which she considered her inspiration.

Her father is a program manager of a Belgian firm VVOB, an organization that aims to contribute to the quality of education in developing countries while her mother used to work for a foreign research institute.

“I really look up to them. I also wanted to inspire my brothers to keep going. It’s really all about my family,” said Theunis, who is the youngest of three siblings. — MBG  (FREEMAN)